Unilever and Nufarm Partner on Plant-Based Oil Production

Unilever has launched a new partnership to obtain plant-based oils from sugarcane for use in cleaning product formulations.

Unilever and Nufarm, a global innovator in agriculture, are joining forces to develop and commercialize the crop of the future. The project aims to cultivate a crop capable of producing significant quantities of biomass to manufacture sustainable oils. Biomass oil derived from plant material (including leaves and stalks) will serve as a source of fatty acids, a key ingredient in Unilever's laundry detergents, as well as beauty and personal care products.

Generally, vegetable oils such as sunflower and canola are produced from seeds and fruits. The innovation of this technology lies in producing oil using the entire plant—including leaves—applicable to crops such as sugarcane and sorghum (a type of grain).

Nufarm had previously developed and commercialized a sugarcane variety formerly known as energy cane. This sustainable crop produces significantly more plant material and sugar compared to conventional sugarcane. With this investment, Unilever aims to develop a new energy cane variety capable of producing biomass oil that is commercially viable by leveraging recent biotechnological innovations.

The purpose of this technology is to reduce Unilever's dependence on petrochemical-based ingredients. If this plant-based oil can be successfully cultivated at scale, it will be the first optimized biomass crop to be used as an ingredient in consumer products.

In its current form, energy cane offers sustainability benefits such as climate stress tolerance, drought resistance, and more efficient protection against soil erosion. It also offers harvesting advantages for farmers and the environment. The project aims to amplify and enhance these characteristics in the new crop, contributing to the company's targets for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in ingredient sourcing.